Not so different after all
by Invader Gilly
Summary: Fluffy little ZAGR fic. Gaz is remembering her mother, Zim comforts her.


**A/N: WOOOOO! I absolutely love this pairing! Tis my favorite! It's a pretty fluffy story, and I'm leaving it as a one-shot. Use those imaginations to figure out what happens next!**

**Disclaimer: Fine! I don't own Zim! There, happy?**

"Shit!" Gaz sucked on her throbbing finger and glared at her brother. "Dib. Get. Out. Of. My. Way. Now!"

"In a moment Gaz!" said Dib, without taking his eyes of the T.V., where 'Mysterious Mysteries' blared. "I sent in some information about Zim and it might be playing tonight!"

Gaz looked up from her brand new Gameslave 4 and growled, "Do I look like I care? Move your ass, now."

Groaning, Dib reluctantly moved off the couch, allowing Gaz to pass and go up to her room. Once on her bed, Gaz looked at her thumb. What had she banged it on? Her hand had hit her waist and – oh. That.

Gaz removed a small, hard package that was in her skirt pocket and opened it. Inside was a small blue rock.

_**-Flashback-**_

"What's that?" asked Gaz, pointing to a periwinkle blue rock on a nearby table in Zim's base.

Zim glared at her. "What do you care? I thought the Dib-monster sent you over here to destroy me?"

Gaz's angry look returned on her face. "Since when do I listen to Dib? You'd think he would have matured as he got older, but he's still so damn annoying. So what is it?"

Zim's face was expressionless. "The rock is from my home planet, Irk."

"So, are you homesick? Is that why you keep it?"

"No! Invaders are not meant to be 'homesick'. I don't know why I have it still have it. I feel no attachment to that planet anymore!" He threw the rock at her. "You mock me! Be gone with you!" Gaz caught the rock and pocketed it.

"What's your problem?" she barked. "I'm leaving!"

"Good! And be sure to tell Dib that he sucks!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

Gaz slammed the door so hard that bits of plaster fell from the ceiling. Once he was sure that she was out of earshot, Zim spoke to his Computer. "Do you think she knows?"

Computer's drawling voice answered him, "I don't know, and I don't care."

"Make an educated guess then."

Computer let out an electronic-sounding sigh. "Oh, I don't know. Why do you care anyway? I thought that you believed that 'Invaders needed no one.' What happened to that?"

Zim shrugged. "I dunno." It had seemed like just yesterday that he had thought that. But now, well, he couldn't explain it…. It was like…. _love_? Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Hold the train. Did he just think that? Guessing his thoughts, Computer snickered. '_Poor, poor, poor Zim'_ he thought. '_He has absolutely no idea….' _**(A/N: I don't know how Computer knows that Gaz like Zim too…. Just play along)**

_**-End Flashback-**_

Gaz fingered the rock; rolling it between her fingers; over, under, over, under. She looked at her reflection in the mirror on her wall. "Do you think he knows?" she asked herself. Receiving no answer, she turned away. "I can't let my guard down. Who knows how he'd react." Gaz's gaze was drawn to her night table, where she kept a picture of her mother. It was the week before the lab accident, and she had just given birth to Gaz. Kym was grinning and holding baby Gaz, who already had a tuft of bright purple hair. Two-year-old Dib was standing next to them with their father; they were also stunningly alike, even then. A noise outside drew Gaz's attention. It sounded like Zim arguing with GIR.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR ROCKET BOOTERS ARE BROKEN?"

"I put puddin' in 'em!"

"GIR, WE'RE GOING TO CRASH!"

"YAY!"

Zim and GIR rolled through Gaz's open window. Zim looked furious; GIR, hysterical laughing.

"GIR!" Zim barked. "Go back to the base and get the Voot cruiser and bring in back here. Where are we any – oh."

He had just noticed Gaz as GIR walked out of the open window. ('I'm flyin'! I'm flyin'! Aaaahhhhh!')

"Hello, little Gaz."

"What are you doing here? Jerk."

"I sort of crash landed. Nothing to worry about!"

"Who said I was worried?"

Zim decided to discuss something different. "Who's that?" he asked, pointing to the picture. "Is that your…. parental-mother-unit?"

"Yeah."

"What happened to her?"

"She died…. in a lab accident when I was one week old. I don't remember her. Dib does."

"Oh." Zim looked unsure. "I…. had a cold, unfeeling robot arm. I never knew my, how shall I say it…. parents? Yes. Parents."

Gaz snorted. "Well, I barely know the one I have now."

"I guess that makes us alike in some way."

"What the hell are you talking about? You're crazier than my brother. You're stupid!"

Zim was mentally abusing himself. '_Dookie! And it was going so well too! Why'd you have to mess it up! You complete IDIOT!_' He started again, choosing his words carefully.

"I see that you kept the rock I gave you."

"Gave me? You threw it at my head!"

"Yeah, sorry about that."

Gaz paused. "You said that you have no attachment to your planet anymore. Why?"

Zim's eyes clouded over. "I recently found out that my mission is a lie. My leaders hate me and sent me here hoping that I would die. I'm a social outcast."

"So am I." Gaz gave Zim a small smile. "I guess that makes us alike in some way, huh?"

Suddenly, GIR, flew up next to the window in the Voot. Zim jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "That's my ride. Gotta go."

"Bye" said Gaz softly. When Zim's ship disappeared into the clouds, she returned to fingering the rock, a smile now on her face._ Over, under, over, under_.

**A/N: Eh, it wasn't the best story I've ever written; everyone was sort of OOC, but none of the pairings are really in character. I'm not sure whether I like this a lot or I want to burn it and set an atomic bomb on the ashes. Zim was sort of angsty, Gaz was heartbroken, Computer was a love guru, GIR, at least, was in character. Dib had, like, two sentences.**

**What do you guys think? Review, please!**

**~Gilly**


End file.
